The use of abrasives in oral care compositions is well established. In addition to cleaning plaque and stains, abrasives in oral care compositions such as dentifrices can also polish the surface of enamel. The polishing of enamel has a number of cosmetic benefits including increasing the brightness and shine of teeth, imparting a smooth texture to teeth, and decreasing future discoloration through the removal of cracks and uneven surfaces which promote attachment of stains. Ideally, an abrasive or combination of abrasives can provide both cleaning and polishing of enamel.
Oral care compositions comprising calcium pyrophosphate and silica are known in the art (see for example WO2008/157197, WO2009/134657 and WO2010/068442). However, there is a need to provide oral care compositions with improved polishing action leading to high gloss or shine of the teeth without significantly increasing the abrasion of the tooth enamel.